De Laurentiis' Flash Gordon in '80s and '90s Horror and Sci-Fi Forum

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De Laurentiis' Flash Gordon

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jimi d2	De Laurentiis' Flash Gordon	Lead	[-]
Aug 24 05 7:04 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I completely lucked on a widescreen DVD of this at an Electronics Boutique yesterday (for $9.99!) while buying a PS2 controller for the kids (I guess they threw the old one at the wall one too many times ;)... Watched it last night for the first time in many, many years, and had a lot of fun with it. It's bright and beautiful, with terrific models, sets and costumes. The acting is great for the feel of the film, and Max von Sydow is brilliant as Ming! The effects are mixed in quality, but I'm not sure that some of the "amateur-ish" look of them wasn't intentional; it does help give a "retro" feel to the proceedings. And, of course, the music by Queen is fantastic - it really suits the picture... All in all, very satisfying high camp! I'm glad it's back in my library...
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chris schillig	Re: De Laurentiis' Flash Gordon	#1	[-]
Aug 24 05 8:27 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	A great find! I love this movie! I remember begging my mom to take me to see it, even though it was playing at a theater about 50 miles from where we lived. Mom is a pragmatic sort and would seldom dream of driving that distance for "only" a movie, but I must have worn her down... The campy Queen soundtrack (on L.P., of course) was a staple of my rather small rock and roll music collection. Because of it, I can still recite vast amounts of dialogue from the movie (the album is really padded that way). I also have the three-issue Gold Key/Western comic book adaptation, where Al Williamson knocked himself out on the illustrations - beautiful work, and probably better than the movie deserved. Over the years, I've watched this on television or video several times, and each time I am entertained. Campy, but great fun! I've heard rumors of a DVD re-release for this fall. Can anybody confirm? The copies I see listed on amazon and elsewhere are more than I'm willing to pay, especially if a more moderately priced edition is in the wings.
Kadoban	Re: De Laurentiis' Flash Gordon	#2	[-]
Aug 24 05 9:05 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	It's the 25th anniversary of this movie coming up (December release) - stars Sam Jones and Melody Anderson will both be at the Dragon*Con in Atlanta this coming September. __________ "I must congratulate you, Mr. Holmes."
blackbiped	Re: De Laurentiis' Flash Gordon	#3	[-]
Aug 24 05 10:46 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Having grown up watching the Flash Gordon serials, I was aghast to find out how campy the movie version was going to be. I remember watching a preview on TV, which consisted of Flash playing football in Ming's throne room, and thinking "not again!" because it seemed at the time that any movie adaptation of this sort had to be spoofy and dumb (like DOC SAVAGE). But years later I caught it on HBO and was pleased to find that it was very entertaining after all. And I love the way Queen's driving "dun-dun-dun-dun" bass music enhances the suspenseful climax as Flash aims his spaceship toward Ming's palace in a suicide attack. Legend, oh legend, the third wheel legend...always in the way.
taraco	Re: De Laurentiis' Flash Gordon	#4	[-]
Aug 24 05 11:52 AM Burgomaster Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	'He saved every one of us!'
Zombiewalkin	Re: De Laurentiis' Flash Gordon	#5	[-]
Aug 24 05 12:20 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I remember begging my parents to take me to see this as a kid. Finally they took me and I remember my dad saying....."that was the hokiest thing I have ever seen.....geeesh!" Ahhhhhhhhh but I loved it!! The local horror tv host is working on getting this for the local art theater. I cannot wait to see this on the big screen again!!! I havent seent the whole thing since I saw as a kid in the theater.
TidesOfWerewolves	Re: De Laurentiis' Flash Gordon	#6	[-]
Aug 24 05 1:14 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Truly one of my favorites growing up. The People of Mongo are so colorful and strange, the Hawkmen being the best. And those beautiful matte skies in the background are awesome. The great international cast is what makes the movie. I remember Melody Anderson's slap fight with Ornella Muti (both actresses are perfectly cast) being a highlight, as was Brian Blessed's thunderous delivery of every line he uttered. Mariangella Delango torturing Muti and hissing 'We don't like doing this to you!' is also terrific. It's definitely over-the-top, yet it doesn't stray into parody either. This also should be remembered for coining one of the all-time great movie lines when Ornella Muti exclaims 'No! Not the bore worms!'. These creatures never appear on screen, but you can't help imagining what they're used for and just how coercive they must prove to be.
taraco	Re: De Laurentiis' Flash Gordon	#7	[-]
Aug 24 05 1:50 PM Burgomaster Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	>>And those beautiful matte skies in the background are awesome. I agree the swirling skies were cool. I will say, however, that it also had some of the worst matte work, as a total effect, ever. Maybe it added to the movie's overall fun cheesiness, but I recall wishing it was a better job. Still it should never be forgotten that... 'He saved every one of us.' david 'Flash!'
Kadoban	Re: De Laurentiis' Flash Gordon	#8	[-]
Aug 24 05 2:40 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I've always regretted that they decked Peter Wyngarde out in a golden 'Darth Vader' mask.... __________ "I must congratulate you, Mr. Holmes."
chris schillig	Re: De Laurentiis' Flash Gordon	#9	[-]
Aug 24 05 2:58 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	"He saved with a mighty hand, every man, every woman, every child -- he's a mighty FLASH!"
bahaus	Re: De Laurentiis' Flash Gordon	#10	[-]
Aug 24 05 3:07 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	FLASH..AAAHH AAH that was a great movie if you were a kid who gobbled up everything horror and sci-fi even brian blessed with wings Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you...
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Doc Savage	Re: De Laurentiis' Flash Gordon	#11	[-]
Aug 25 05 11:14 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I saw it at a press screening right before it came out and disliked it a great deal. Time, however, has softened me on it. (Maybe I just miss the me I was when I saw it?) A friend of mine at King Features loaned me his DVD just a few months ago and I was amazed at how much I liked it.
Carl Eyesnheart	Re: De Laurentiis' Flash Gordon	#12	[-]
Aug 25 05 3:43 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I loved this one growing up. But I missed the DVD release, so I had to resort to other methods of getting it. But yes, this was a GREAT movie for a kid who LOVED Sci-Fi, loved Flash Gordon, and was a Queen fanatic!
davlghry	Re:	#13	[-]
Aug 26 05 7:21 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	>>And those beautiful matte skies in the background are awesome. But looked phoney. FLASH was made at a time when many filmmakers hadn't figured out that backgrounds needed to be less sharp in order to make the foregound action look more realistic. CONAN is another example of this. For me, the best thing about FLASH was Max Von Sydow's incredible resemblence to Ming.
Ebola13	Re: De Laurentiis' Flash Gordon	#14	[-]
Jun 8 06 3:45 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Queen's sound track is what made the movie hands down.
BijouBob8mm	Re: De Laurentiis' Flash Gordon	#15	[-]
Jun 8 06 4:38 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	*Quote:* FLASH was made at a time when many filmmakers hadn't figured out that backgrounds needed to be less sharp in order to make the foregound action look more realistic. In retrospect, I like the "stylized" look the film has. My initial viewing of the film when it first opened left my disappointed, but over the years the film has grown on me. I appreciate the fact they kept the period designs of Ming's spaceships, rather than try to modernize the ships and costumes, ala television's BUCK ROGERS.
HalLane	Two Little Words	#16	[-]
Jun 8 06 5:22 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	It's not often that I say something stinks, but given my high regard and affection for previous FGs (Raymond, Universal and Williamson), the De Laurentiis' FG comes dangerously close to making me say "it stinks". The intermitten stabs at "30's Retro" were completely buried in the Barbarella/ WILD, WILD PLANET/ psychedelic/ camp/ Europop/ electric bugaloo sensibilities that were already two decades out of date. An uneven hodge-podge of a STAR WARS cash-in. Zarkov's rocket launch smacked of FLESH GORDON, that acting channelled CASINO ROYALE, and the disco score tasted flavor-of-the-month. A completely lumpy coagulation of leftover detritus. In the plus column, Dale was Jean Rogers cute. Dalton was the spitting image of Dr. Strange. And Brian Blessed should have been given his own film. But so much money and talent loaded unto such a rudderless ship. It makes me appreciate all the more the films that go right. It's a good thing I like junk. Favorite line, Ornella Muti: "Not the Boar Worms....!" So when's it coming out on DVD?
sirharryflashman	Re: Two Little Words	#17	[-]
Jun 8 06 5:53 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I picked up the fairly decent Silver Anniversary Edition DVD that hit Region 2 last October. Couple of commentary tracks, including one with Blessed, and oddly it also includes the first episode of the 1940 serial. I caught the film in the theatres on first release back in 1980 and have had a soft spot for this goofy flick ever since. Far as I'm concerned, the Queen score is a plus. Cheers, Charles Sherlock Holmes in Film, Books and Media
Hu Phan	Re: Two Little Words	#18	[-]
Jun 8 06 6:30 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	My father loved Queen's music for this and it used to play endlessly in our house. I think I could sing the entire soundtrack years before seeing the film. I like the film but don't love it. Timothy Dalton seems to be acting in a different world from everybody else, taking the whole thing very seriously indeed.
IzzyVanHalen	Re: Two Little Words	#19	[-]
Jun 9 06 7:14 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	This is a great movie. Tim Dalton is fantastic in it too - though, yes, he does seem to be taking things a little too seriously. dum dum dum dum dum dum dum FLASH! AHH-AHH!
Omega Man	Re: Two Little Words	#20	[-]
Jun 9 06 8:56 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	*Quote:* Tim Dalton is fantastic in it too - though, yes, he does seem to be taking things a little too seriously. His little speech at the end about uniting the people of Mongo is funny precisely because he is taking everything so seriously. Good fight scene between Dalton and Jones on the "Tilt-O-Whirl of Death", however. I hadn't thought of it before, but as was mentioned in an earlier post, Dalton certainly would've made a terrific Dr. Strange. "Great show. Held over for a third straight year." www.eccentric-cinema.com
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